Back To School Tips and Advice

Healthy(ier) Alternatives

This chapter is about healthier alternatives. While I'm not telling you to give up everything that you love that's unhealthy, I'm just letting you be aware of some healthier alternatives that are proven to make you feel better, stay awake longer, and just be happier all around. I'm including food, drink and even candy!!

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Instead of Soda: try drinking sparkling water. There are numerous brands out there, but some of my favorites are Poland Springs, Bubbly and the generic Walmart brand. They're usually really cheap, coming in at 89 cents per liter or 2.50 for a canned pack of 12.

Try drinking tea! I know some people hate tea with a passion, but if you're looking for a flavorful pick-me-up then you might try it. Some of my favorite flavors are:
-Oolong Tea
-English Breakfast
-Afternoon Tea
-Green Tea (and black tea) with Mint.
-Earl Grey
-Black tea with lemon or Orange peel.
(I usually buy these from PureLeaf or Bigelow brands.)

Try water with fruit/veggies. This gives you the flavor and energy to fight the day. It also is highly personalized, so you can have strawberries, cucumber and cantaloupe or raspberry, grape and lemon. The mixtures are numerable and they all taste good!

Instead of sweetening your drinks with sugar try Splenda. It's a lot better for you, and will help teach your body not to rely on sugar so much.

Instead of  White Bread:

Try whole grain, 12 or 15 grain bread. This provides you with healthier grains that is easier for your stomach to digest. This also can apply to cereal, bagels and oatmeal. The more grains the healthier! Keep in mind whole wheat, while healthier than white bread, is still bad for you. It's recommended that if you do eat bread, to stick with the higher grain contents. For oatmeal try steal cut oats or stone ground oats. These provide you with the most nutrients, while retaining their natural flavor.

Breakfast:

A healthy breakfast consists of only a few things.
-Fruit
-Drink
-Proteins
What I usually have is one egg with some strawberries, an orange or cantaloupe, with tea, coffee or water.

Another thing you can have that will keep you full till snack time is oatmeal with fruit and a drink of choice. The oats upon ingestion will expand, and will take you a while to digest leaving you fuller for longer.

Lunch:

Usually for lunch I see people with sandwiches or other quick to-make food. I understand this completely, because like them all I want is to feed the monster in my stomach.

Some healthier choices like I mentioned above are but not limited to:
-Using 12-15 grain bread.
-Turkey, chicken, ham and turkey pepperoni.
-Mustard, and Mayo.
-Cheeses low in carbs. (Colby jack, mozzarella.)
-Fruit and veggie galore.
— Cucumber, lettuce, spinach, green peppers etc.
— Apple, strawberries, honeydew, oranges etc.

Dinner:

Here are some healthy dinner ideas:

-Roasted chicken
-Grilled Steak
-Fried Rice (home made, its delish dm if you want my recipe.)
-Corn
-Salad
-Roasted Veggies
-Roasted Potato
-Cucumbers in vinegar
-Stuffed peppers
-Whole grain pasta, with tomato sauce and fresh grated Parmesan.

Dessert:

Yeah that's right!! I love dessert and a way you can have it more often is by following these easy rules:

-Fat and Sugar free options such as; jello, and pudding.
-Dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage higher than 60%. (It's better for your heart!)
-Fruit and whipped cream. (Natural sugar is okay.)
-Italian ice (you can DIY it or buy it sugar free at stores.)
-Popsicles (DIY it or buy sugar free at stores.)

Snacks:

I know healthy snacking is difficult. I have definitely lost the battle more than once. Fortunately here are some ways to try and win the fight!
-Lots of fruit.
-Hummus with veggies, or pretzels.
-Kale chips. (They're delish and good for you.)
-Veggies & ranch.
-Grapes, cheese and ham cubes.
-Turkey pepperoni with ham cubes and cheese.

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There are so many different ways to insert healthier options into your routine! While you don't have to follow these rules, I found that even exchanging a piece of bread out made me feel a whole lot better.

These changes aren't only for your food! They could help make you feel better, and feel healthier!

But don't forget eating cookies, or having a ice cream won't kill you. I haven't died yet 😂

Thanks a ton,

-Makayla💜